Misjudgement
by Loopstagirl
Summary: Someone was out to protect the servants. Merlin didn't think he would have ever guessed at who it was.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights belong to their respective owners._

_Just a short story for you. Originally written for a Camelot_Drabble prompt but I thought I would extend it and then post on here, so hope you like it._

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><p>Merlin watched as Arthur spoke quietly with a chambermaid before sending her on her way with a gold coin clutched in her hand. She bobbed a curtsey, stumbling over her thanks until Arthur gently prompted her into moving, his face soft and caring. Merlin could only stare, wondering if Arthur was actually two different people. It was the only reason he could think of considering the change in the prince.<p>

For a month now, he had watched his master beat older knights in their training sessions in almost humiliating ways, goading and mocking them as he did so. He had watched as Arthur boasted and showed off in front of his noble friends and had decided that both the dragon and the king – after all, he was the one to appoint Merlin Arthur's servant – had both got it wrong. There was no way he was cut out to deal with the arrogant prince. He was more likely going to get himself beheaded than he was at actually helping Arthur in his journey to become king. If he was completely honest, Merlin wasn't entirely sure he wanted to help Arthur, not if this was the sort of man he was.

The prince was a prat, through and through.

But it didn't take long until Merlin began to realise there was perhaps another side to Arthur. A side he kept hidden and would deny until his last breath. But Merlin had still seen it. It was like witnessing something out of the corner of his eye. To start with, Merlin wasn't sure what it was making him believe Arthur wasn't as bad as he had feared. It certainly wasn't anything the prince had done towards him that indicated a softer side.

But just after Merlin had been in Arthur's service for a month, an incident occurred that made Merlin know for sure there was more to Arthur than met the eye; more even than the prince would let anyone see.

A newcomer - some noble from the north staying as a guest to the king -had been giving the servants grief from the moment he stepped foot in Camelot. Beating at the young men who didn't move quickly, cornering the maids with lewd intentions when no one else was around – he had become the servant's worse nightmare. Many refused to have anything to do with him, but it wasn't that simple. It wasn't as if the man stayed in one place in the castle, roaming it almost just to keep everyone on edge.

Merlin didn't realise Arthur was aware that something was wrong. After all, it was a matter dealing with the servants, Arthur had certainly never shown any signs before of caring what was happening to anyone below in him in status. Considering he was the Prince of Camelot, that naturally meant it didn't seem as if Arthur cared about anyone other than his father.

Merlin never thought of telling his master, assuming that Arthur would simply scoff and make some of degrading comment. At least, not until he had turned up to work, late with a black eye and in a foul mood one day.

He had only been walking down the same corridor as the noble when the man had decided that servants shouldn't even be in the same part of the castle as him. Merlin had no choice but to take that path; it was the most direct route between the physician's chambers and Arthur's. Already pushing it as to whether he was going to get there on time or not, Merlin had no intention of taking a different path and had just continued. He knew the loud and obnoxious words hadn't been aimed directly at him, for he wasn't the only servant walking this stretch of corridor and he certainly wasn't the closest to the man.

But the servant just in front was little more than a child. Merlin often saw him in the armoury, polishing boots for the knights while he clearly tried to absorb as much as information about the noblemen as he could. Merlin had a feeling he was the child of another couple of servants and they had no one to watch him during the day so had managed to find some sort of work for him. The boy had looked terrified at the loud voice and the arm stretching up above his head. Merlin had interfered before it crossed his mind that he would be the one to bear the punishment. He only just had enough time to cross the distance between them before the blow fell, let alone anything else.

It had hurt but he hadn't minded, not when it meant the boy had got away. He had taken harsher hits from Will when they had played as boys. The nobleman hadn't been aiming at him and hadn't had the chance to adjust his blow before it fell. It was still enough to instantly cause Merlin's skin to blacken and he had practically run from the scene before he said something that would earn him a true beating.

But he certainly hadn't been in the mood for Arthur's usual jibes about his clumsiness when he arrived at work. To his surprise, however, Arthur had gently caught his chin and tilted his head towards the light, examining the injury carefully. Merlin hadn't intended to tell Arthur what had happened, but the words were slipping from him before he could stop himself. There was something about Arthur's demeanour at that moment which meant Merlin felt as if he had no choice but to tell him the truth. It was strange; he almost felt compelled to talk even though Arthur hadn't asked him what had happened. But as soon as Merlin had finished talking and Arthur had examined the bruise as closely as he could, the prince strode from the room with a face of thunder.

Merlin hadn't known what to make of it. Why would Arthur care about the way a guest was treating the servants, surely he thought it was some right that a noble could treat others how he wanted? Merlin put it from his mind and told himself he had just imagined Arthur's strange mood.

Until he had started seeing other signs, however.

Servants were suddenly banding together, walking in pairs. That way, if one was cornered, there was always someone else to run for help. When asked why, they all just said something about orders coming from high up. Merlin couldn't work out who would be behind it; who would focus on the servants enough to strategize a way to avoid the man? But that wasn't the only thing that was changing. Knights were seen patrolling more and more corridors during the day as well as at night and concealed alcoves suddenly found themselves the home to a vase or some other ornament. Everywhere that was a potential trap for unwary servants had something put in place to make it harder for them to be cornered or dragged out of sight.

Even with the changes taking place around him, Merlin was still determined to think of Arthur as the prat he had to serve. He had no reason to change his opinion, not when Arthur was still just treating him as if he was a doormat. The man never showed any kindness when he was out in the public eye. He would punch his friends sooner than share pleasantries with them and Merlin found that he was constantly on edge. He believed that any moment Arthur was suddenly going to turn on him and his problems would have only just begun.

Until Gaius said something about receiving Arthur's message and to tell him it was all in hand. Merlin had pried, but the physician would say no more. In the end, he had muttered something about needing to do his rounds and left the room, leaving Merlin to realise that he was running late again and would need to sprint – and hope no one unpleasant saw him – if he wanted to get to Arthur on time.

Merlin had relayed the words dutifully to the prince without having a clue what they meant. But as Arthur had gone to turn away, he found that his hand had stuck out and he had caught the prince by the sleeve. It didn't dawn on him that it might be a bad idea, not even when Arthur had looked at him with raised eyebrows and an incredulous expression on his face. Merlin found himself taking a deep breath.

"Merlin," there was a warning note in Arthur's voice when he spoke. But Merlin had ignored that and instead demanded to know what Gaius had meant.

Initially, he didn't think that Arthur would answer. But after some gentle coaxing (and even more yelling), Merlin found himself discovering that Arthur had been making sure that Gaius had enough supplies and ointments for the amount of injuries that were cropping up amongst the serving staff, offering money to help purchase more if the physician didn't have enough.

Arthur's face was flaming by the time he was finished, but Merlin found he was just staring at the prince.

He had got Arthur so wrong, and it was only now he was beginning to see just how much.

Arthur was a fool and a bully when amongst his friends.

It was enough to keep them respecting him and therefore toeing the line. They reacted to violence and a heavy hand and it meant Arthur remained firmly as their leader. They wouldn't go against his orders or wishes, not when they knew Arthur would have no qualms about publically calling them out on it and they would lose the favour of the prince. No doubt from their father's as well if they found out they were no longer friends with the prince.

This newcomer wasn't part of the group. Arthur hadn't yet found a way to make the man respect him and therefore had not yet discovered the means to keep him under control.

If he couldn't deal with the man, then Arthur was just going to make sure he changed the things he did have influence over. It was only when he had burst in – late as usual – to a meeting Arthur was having with the head of household staff (who had given Merlin a disapproving look at the time and a long lecture afterwards) that meant he realised the orders about walking in pairs had come from the prince. It made sense when he started thinking about it; Arthur was also the one who controlled what patrols the knights and guards did. He was the one with the power to influence everyone else in the castle, so that was what he was making sure he did.

Merlin had a feeling he might have misjudged Arthur as he watched him now. The prince was watching the maid go with a drawn look on his face. Merlin knew what the coin was for. Arthur had been sending servants down to the markets for some added treats; food mainly to share among the staff as a way of trying to compensate what they were having to go through. Off his own back and reaching into his own pocket, he was trying to make amends for something that wasn't his fault. Merlin knew Arthur was aware that a honey cake didn't make a vivid bruise any better, but it kept the staff loyal. It meant they knew Arthur was trying to do something, even if he couldn't stop the man. The noble was a guest of the king rather than of the prince, so Arthur had little authority to expel him from the castle.

"What are you gawping at like the idiot you are, _Mer_lin? I thought I told you I had training to get to?" Arthur had half turned and clearly seen his servant standing there just watching him.

"Yes, Sire," Merlin turned away to hide his smirk. Now that he had a new understanding of Arthur, he was beginning to understand why the man insulted him so much as well. It was Arthur's way of saying that he believed Merlin could handle himself.

In a strange way, it was Arthur's version of a compliment.

Now that Merlin had figured that out, he found that he didn't mind them so much. After all, Arthur was striving to protect everyone else and yet believed Merlin could look after himself. It wasn't often people had thought that highly of him and Merlin hide his face so that Arthur couldn't see his smile. He thought he was beginning to understand Arthur; the more sarcastic he was, the higher he thought of the person in question.

As he started to gather his master's things for his training session, Merlin knew he was beginning to change his mind. It had taken a month, but he was finally beginning to see what the dragon meant about Arthur's destiny. Serving Arthur wouldn't be so bad after all, not when the man seemed singlehandedly determined to set everything right in the castle without letting anyone officially know. It seemed that He was indeed destined to be a great King if he was going to take the time and effort to protect the servants when he was nothing more than a prince. No one knew it was him, not officially anyway, which meant no one was praising him for it. Arthur wasn't doing this for attention; he was doing it because he cared.

"Merlin, come on!" Arthur was halfway down the corridor by the time he called back and Merlin cursed, hurrying after him while being laden down. It wasn't easy and he thought he was going to sever his own foot when he almost dropped the sword. Just in time, he managed to catch it and when he drew level with the prince, Arthur stuck out a hand and grabbed the throwing knives. His actions were so careless it was as if he didn't even know he was doing it.

As Arthur yelled at him again, Merlin smirked even as he doubled his pace. It didn't seem to matter whether he was changing his mind about his master or not. Arthur was still just as determined as ever to make his life awkward. Perhaps that was his way of making sure his servant didn't believe he was going soft.

But as he passed a patrol that hadn't guarded that corridor a week ago, Merlin knew it would be worth it. After all, if Arthur was doing this now, then Merlin knew he would only grow as time went on. But compared to previously, Arthur now had someone to help him.

Merlin was still trying to decide whether or not he was going to let Arthur know that.


	2. Chapter 2

_I couldn't resist adding something else to it! Hope you like it._

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><p>"Arthur!" There was only one time Merlin knew he could barge into the prince's chambers in such a way. Fortunately for him, Arthur knew that too. Rather than waiting to ask what had his servant running around like all of the guards were on his heels, Arthur jumped to his feet and snatched up his sword. Merlin grasped at the stitch in his side, panting for breath.<p>

"Where?"

"Eastern corridors. Your father's guests… they've cornered someone."

Arthur needed no more than that and strode from the room. Merlin made to follow him, only to find the prince's hand caught his chest and pushed him back. When Merlin looked confused, Arthur just gave him a soft nod and disappeared before the warlock could even find the breath to say anything more. Knowing he would never catch up, Merlin just sank down into one of Arthur's chairs and tried to catch his breath.

Everyone had noticed how much the castle had changed over the last few months. Corridors were safe again and the servants had gradually begun to let down their defences now they knew they could walk around unchallenged. Merlin hadn't realised how bad the tension had been until it was now gone. He had entered Camelot while things were bad; he just thought that had been the norm. But now people were free and happy once again, he realised security had just been lax during his arrival and those who cared enough to make a change didn't know it was happening. Namely: Arthur.

Finally beginning to get his breathing back under control, Merlin glanced around the room for something to do. He had been here six months now and Arthur had given up trying to make him do as he was told. Generally, the jobs did get done. It just tended to be in Merlin's own time rather than when Arthur requested it. Merlin didn't think he could be blamed; the rest of the time he was either fetching life-saving herbs for Gaius or actually saving Arthur's life using the forbidden magic – so it wasn't as if he could tell Arthur.

But on the days when he sent the prince running to someone's rescue, Merlin always felt a rush of respect so strong that he felt the urge to be a proper servant and actually get something achieved. Arthur might be a pig-headed prat for most of the time, but Merlin had been given a glimpse at his heart and knew he was a good man, even if he didn't want to show it. Moments like these showed Merlin what sort of king Arthur would grow into and he felt a surge of pride that he was going to be partly responsible for making it happen.

Realising he had actually done some work the day before and so there was not that much that needed doing, Merlin rose to his feet and twisted, pleased when his side had stopped twinging at him. He thought he had done more running around since living in a castle than he had done during his whole time of living out in the countryside where nothing was within reach.

Moving across the room, it didn't take him long to start folding back the sheets on the bed and plumping the pillows, determined to do it properly for once. He had just placed the final cushions back into the proper place when the door opened and Arthur returned. He threw his sword down onto the table in disgust, a look of fury on his face.

"Everything alright?" Merlin asked quietly, his heart thudding hard. Arthur usually looked pleased when he returned, knowing he had helped. Scowling, the prince threw himself into his chair, slouching in a way that was decidedly unprincely.

"She is with Gaius," he muttered and Merlin felt his heart sink. Arthur might have got there and stopped things from escalating, but it had still taken too long. Someone had been hurt and Merlin knew how much the prince took that personally.

"I'm sorry, if I had got here quicker…"

"Don't, Merlin. It's not your fault, you came as fast as you could. It's their fault. Thinking that just because they are guests of the king they had the right to do whatever they want…" Arthur seemed to be preparing to work himself into a rant. Merlin moved across the room and fleetingly let his hand rest on Arthur's shoulder. It happened too fast for the prince to make a comment on it.

"It's not your fault either, Arthur. You did what you could," he murmured softly. He knew it wasn't only anger at the guests that had Arthur worked up; he hadn't got there fast enough, someone had been hurt and now he was blaming himself.

"It's not enough," Arthur snapped, pushing his chair back and standing up. Merlin only just moved in time to avoid being hit. As the prince stepped towards the door, Merlin frowned.

"Where are you going now?"

"None of your business," Arthur retorted, stalking from the room. Merlin sighed, running a hand through his hair as he watched the door swing shut after his master. He hoped his suspicions about Arthur's destination were correct. Only a fierce training session with the knights would be enough to work off his frustration. It would be better for everyone if Arthur was in a good mood by the time he had to dine with the king and his guests that evening.

For a long moment, Merlin could only stand there, his mind racing. What would it take for Arthur to see the improvements that had already been made? Merlin knew he wasn't the only one to have noticed how happy people now were, but the prince only seemed to see the moments of weakness where his regime failed. He didn't notice how servants and knights were now on name-to-name terms, how servants would often be singing or whistling to themselves as they attended their duties. He only saw the rare occasions were fear flourished again. But Arthur only ever saw the fear.

Shaking his head, Merlin knew there wasn't much point in staying in the room for now. There was nothing to be done; he was better finding something useful to do with his time. He knew the sort of jobs Arthur would often ask of him, so rather than wait until other important things – normally saving Arthur's life – also dictated his time, the warlock figured he should get on with some of them now.

Shutting the door carefully behind him, Merlin nodded at the guards stationed there and set off towards the armoury. The majority of Arthur's weapons and armour was kept in his room – if needed in a hurry it wasted too much time Merlin having to go and fetch it. But his crossbow and less familiar weapons remained with everything else and Merlin knew it had been a while since he had polished them. As much as he moaned about it, he didn't mind. For one thing, keeping the weapons in good condition made his job of keeping Arthur alive a lot easier. But it also allowed his mind to wander now his hands knew what he was doing and the servant found it relaxing.

This time, however, fate didn't want him to have the chance to relax.

He hadn't made it even halfway when a prickling on the back of his neck made him slow. The footsteps he had been hearing also slowed and Merlin knew he was being followed. Being the Crown Prince's servant offered him some protection – no one was foolish enough to annoy Arthur – but he still upped his pace again. It came as no surprise when the footsteps also did the same.

Merlin was so busy focusing on what he was hearing he forgot to look where he was going. Instead, he had been staring at his own feet as he tried to listen to his pursuer. He almost crashed into the figure that suddenly stepped in front of him. Preparing to apologise – he had learn the hard way sometimes it was just easier to shelve his pride – Merlin glanced up.

Then promptly groaned.

It was one of the King's guests, the same man who had been hounding one of the maids. Ethan, if Merlin wasn't mistaken. Glancing over his shoulder, it came as no surprise to see it had been Edgar – his twin brother – who had been stalking Merlin down the corridor. Merlin felt his heart give an uncomfortable thud. He didn't need that to tell him he was in trouble; magic was already prickling under his skin in order to come to his defence. He couldn't let it though; he couldn't give these men anything to hold over him.

"Can I help you with something, Sir?" Merlin murmured, dropping his gaze again. He hated playing the dutiful servant, but he wasn't going to let it be anything he did that dictated their next actions. Somehow, he knew where this was going and knew, no matter what, it wasn't going to end well with him.

"We saw you earlier, didn't we, boy?" Edgar said softly, coming up behind him. Merlin made to turn, only for the lord's hand to slap him sharply, jolting his head back around the other way. Merlin gritted his teeth. Knowing this was coming didn't make it any easier to bear. Especially not when he knew he had the means to defend himself. But with it being two against one, he knew it was too dangerous. All it would take would be for one of them to get a glimpse of his golden eyes and his head would be on the block before he could explain.

"You're right," Ethan continued, his hand coming up. Initially, he grabbed Merlin's chin, forcing the servant to look at him. Merlin didn't just look; he glared. But then the lord's hand slipped, caressing his throat instead. He didn't constrict his fist, but Merlin knew he was thinking about it.

"He must have been the one to go and get the prince. We've found ourselves a little snitch."

Merlin didn't even see the movement coming until he had been jerked to one side. Too late did he realise they had stopped by some empty rooms and while Ethan shoved him harshly away, forcing Merlin to fall, Edgar shut the door carefully behind them.

"You made us lose favour with the prince, _boy._"

"You did that yourself," Merlin spat, sitting up and rubbing a banged elbow. He might not be able to use magic, but that didn't mean he was going to take whatever they threw at him just because he was a servant. He just started to get his feet under him when Edgar shoved him harshly in the back. His balance lost, Merlin fell again and didn't even have time to see Ethan's kick coming. It caught him straight in the stomach and Merlin gasped, the air driven from him as he instinctively curled into a ball to protect his midriff.

Not that it made any difference. They blamed him for their loss of favour and with no one else around to stop them, they were determined to make him pay. Merlin began to rethink the idea about magic, knowing he was going to be lucky they didn't kill him at this rate. Whatever it took, he had to survive. But just as he began thinking about what he could actually do that wouldn't be too obvious, a heel caught him in the head. Merlin didn't even know whose it was, but his vision instantly began weaving. He couldn't focus, couldn't think of anything let alone magic.

Darkness was clawing at his vision as the blows continued to rain down. As he felt blood gushing from his nose, Merlin knew it was over. They backed off and he tried to raise himself on shaky arms. But their cruel laughter rang in his ears as he had no choice but to slump back down again, the last of his consciousness fleeing his mind.

Darkness claimed him and Merlin's final thought was they would kill him while he was out cold.

Which was why he was very surprised to feel pain pulsing through every inch of his body as his eyes screwed up and slowly began to peel themselves open. He was sure dying wasn't supposed to hurt this much.

"Gaius! Gaius, he's waking up."

Merlin was also sure that should he actually die, Arthur's voice would not be the first thing that greeted him, especially as the loudness caused stabbing pains to drive into his skull. Merlin groaned and there was instantly a hand on his forehead.

"Merlin? Can you hear me?" Knowing Gaius wanted the truth, Merlin groaned again. His tongue felt heavy and thick in his mouth, he wasn't sure he could form a word if he wanted to. Luckily, his mentor seemed to understand and a cup was pressed against the warlock's lips. Merlin drank eagerly, sighing as it helped soothe his mouth.

"Wh'm I?" He slurred, forcing his eyes to open properly this time. As soon as he glanced around, he didn't need anyone to answer that question. He was in Arthur's rooms. On the prince's bed, with Arthur sitting to one side looking concerned and Gaius hovering over him. Not understanding why he was being allowed to just lie here, Merlin made to rise. Gaius instantly moved his hand to his shoulder and firmly pressed him back down again.

"Don't," his voice was kind but his eyes were concerned.

"Why?" Merlin asked with a shaky voice.

"You're badly hurt, you need to rest." Merlin knew what Gaius wasn't saying. He wasn't letting him stand because he knew he wouldn't be able to. Lying back against the pillows, Merlin exhaled sharply a then had to bite his lip to stop tears springing to his eyes at just over how much that had hurt. His mentor squeezed his shoulder.

"I'll fetch you something for the pain. Don't try and get up, Merlin. I mean it, you'll regret it." If he was honest, Merlin wasn't sure he had the strength to try again even if he wanted to. He watched mutely as Gaius turned and left, deciding he hated this feeling of being so helpless. He should have used magic to defend himself and taken the consequences as they came. But then the rational part of his brain kicked in; being killed was still worse than being in pain.

"I'm sorry," Arthur murmured. Merlin jumped; for a wild moment he had forgotten the prince was there despite it being his rooms.

"How did you find me?" Merlin asked, glad his voice was coming out stronger. It was worse being seen as weak in front of Arthur. To his surprise, Arthur smiled.

"Some maid that I have never seen before came to get me."

Merlin only stared, wondering what Arthur was looking so happy about. The prince noticed his look and continued, inching closer as he did so.

"It means it's working," he continued. "Maybe I can't stop all the attacks from taking place. But I thought it was just the two of us against the whole castle."

Merlin had to fight in order to keep the smile off his face at the causal way that Arthur said that. He knew the other servants were now more willing to approach a knight for help, but Arthur hadn't been seeing that.

"I thought if you didn't see it, then I would never find out about it. I was in the middle of the training field, surrounded by knights and she just came running straight up to tell me. I think she said she saw them throw you into the room."

"That's… good." Merlin meant it. If him being beaten was what it took for Arthur to see he was making a difference, then Merlin knew he would go through it again. Although perhaps not for a few days, he was a little sore right now.

"But I do need to apologise. If I hadn't stopped them earlier…"

"They just would have hurt someone else, Arthur. They came after me because they were denied their fun. They wanted to hurt someone and both times you stopped them."

"Maybe," Arthur muttered, his smile gone. Merlin knew they still had a little way to go before Arthur accepted just what difference he had made. At least this was a starting point though; the prince understood that a change was taking place.

"Where…" Merlin shifted, avoiding Arthur's gaze as he did so. He didn't want to see the pity in the man's expression over how hard moving was right now.

"Where are they?"

"In the dungeons."

"How did you get away with that?" The trouble up until now was that Uther would never punish a noble over a servant. Arthur smirked.

"An attack on you, as my personal manservant, is a direct attack on me. I persuaded my father they were seeking to undermine my authority and show me for a weak leader not able to protect my own servants. He saw my point of view."

Merlin shook his head, slumping back into the pillows in amazement. This wasn't just about sending out a message that the staff were protected – although it certainly did that as well. Arthur had done that - reminded everyone of his status and authority – for Merlin. He had taken this personally not because Merlin was his servant, but because he was a friend.

"Thank you." There was nothing else to say and Arthur shifted uncomfortably. He never liked emotional talks.

"Get some rest," he murmured, standing up and moving across the room. "I want you back at work tomorrow."

"Of course, Sire," Merlin responded, settling down against the pillows. Normally, he would be complaining. But there was something rather soft about Arthur's bed and he wasn't sure when he would next get the chance. As he drifted off to sleep, Merlin couldn't help reflect what a good king his master would one day be.


End file.
